Using computers came to me naturally when I was a kid.
It gave my mind some intriguing puzzles and provided an outlet for silly ideas and random creativity. My computer was a safe, neutral space where I wasn’t judged for being an outsider weirdo, couldn’t injure myself, and seemed to succeed in most of what I tried. Although I wasn’t passionate about programming and was more interested in arts and animals, computer science seemed to be a practical and reasonably enjoyable career choice.
As a kid, I noticed many people didn’t seem to grasp what I found instinctive, and was confused. Why couldn’t they find the button on the screen that seemed so obvious to me?
When I got older, I saw my own limitations more clearly.
Sure, I could fix your wifi easily enough, but trying to do my own tax return filled me with frozen horror, certain that whatever numbers emerged would be horribly wrong and lead me to catastrophic consequences. Cake decoration was (and still is) a source of laughable failure.
I built websites for clients who were astonished at what I could do and how quickly I could do it. But I was often in awe of the skills and talents that they, in turn, took for granted.
Intelligent and creative people claimed to be stupid or clueless. They would speak apologetically about their own lack of technical ability, as if it was a personal failing.
“I’m no good at this stuff.”
“I hate that I even have to think about it.”
“Can you just make the changes?
I’d probably just break something.”
I started to reflect on what it was that I was doing that they weren’t, and what my supposed intuitive understanding was actually based on. I started to merge these ideas with what I was learning from my mindfulness and meditation practices.
Facing Your Screen is a philosophical work.
It’s not about how to edit documents in Word or Excel, or what steps to take to fix a problem on your iPhone. It’s about the mindset needed for dealing with technical systems, whether it’s hardware or software, learning how to see that system holistically, and approach a problem in a systematic way.
It’s also about how you feel about technology – whether you’re strongly repelled by it and resent even having to own a cell phone, or are so caught up in it that you can’t stay off social media for a few hours without feeling anxious.
Feel free to reach out to me with thoughts and questions.
Kirsten Starcher